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FTV Capital CERTIFIED

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FIRM OVERVIEW: Very Large Private Equity founded in 1998 based out of San Francisco, USA (US West)

FIRM DESCRIPTION: FTVentures invests growth capital in business services and software companies offering meaningful solutions to the global financial services industry. We partner with talented management teams, providing growth capital to finance organic expansion, recapitalizations, build-ups and buyouts, and contributing our industry expertise and professional network to help build successful companies. We invest in companies that will benefit from our highly differentiated value proposition featuring our Global Partner Network. FTVentures' unmatched Global Partner Network includes many of the world's leading financial institutions (including Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, Citi, Wells Fargo, US Bancorp, Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank, Liberty Mutual and many more) who are also strategic limited partners. We work actively with our portfolio companies to drive meaningful business traction across the Global Partner Network, and we have a successful track record of helping our portfolio companies build increased market momentum.
We invest primarily in business services and software companies that target the global financial services industry, where we have proven experience and an enduring network of partners. A majority of our portfolio companies also focus beyond the financial services industry to serve other large vertical markets with delivery of innovative, best-in-class offerings. By leveraging our industry experience and close contacts at many of the world's largest financial institutions, we help talented management teams gain greater insight into the marketplace, and more quickly and effectively build sales traction within the financial services vertical. As a result, FTVentures is well-positioned to partner with strong entrepreneurs in building successful companies and generating attractive returns for management and investors.
FTVentures actively participates at the board level of our portfolio companies, establishing strong working relationships with portfolio company management, but leaving day-to-day operations to the management team. When selecting board members, we purposefully match the appropriate expertise and experience of our Partners, Principals and Senior Advisors with the specific needs of each portfolio company. The extensive financial services, technology and business services industry experience of the professionals in our firm enables our board members to contribute in significant ways to the development and implementation of strategic direction and operational support. We have a proven track record in helping to recruit and retain high caliber management throughout the life of our investments by tapping into our extended industry network. Board members are able to leverage the investment and business development teams as well as other FTVentures professionals for corporate development, legal, accounting, marketing and technology advice.
Our proactive portfolio company business development program is highly differentiated and has a proven track record for helping build commercial relationships within the financial services industry. FTVentures works actively with portfolio companies, assisting them in targeting specific sales opportunities at the financial institutions that make up our Global Partner Network as well as throughout our broader industry network. Spearheaded by our dedicated business development team, we work systematically to identify and introduce portfolio companies to key business, IT, and operating executives within our Global Partner Network as potential customers.

Our company pitched FTVentures on an investment opportunity in the digital media space. Eric Byunn was the point person involved at FTVentures. The process was smooth and we did receive a timely and fair term sheet. Unfortunately, from this point forward we did not have a good experience with FTVentures and Eric Byunn.

Posted by
mktgmann
on 2008-01-28

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NOTE TO ENTREPRENEURS: FT is decidedly a B-round growth company fund focused on financial services technologies. So if you don't have $5-$10M+ revenue, at least half your management team in place, some semblance of a working product, and at least 1-3 financial services clients (preferably some of their LPs), then you shouldn't bother pitching them or get upset if they turn you down.

We fortunately had all of those things in place, and had met Eric Byunn almost a year before we started our B round raise process. He had expressed interest early on and we sent periodic updates. When the time came for the B round, he already had a good sense for the company and the team.

Their process was very efficient-- standard 5 steps: 1) we pitched the deal team in their offices 2) a few weeks later they came and spent the full day with us 3) they took about 2-3 weeks to do full due diligence 4) we pitched their full partner team 5) term sheet was fair and required very little negotiation so was 4 weeks from term sheet to close.

1 month and 1 board meeting in, FT has already started to work us into their LPs as potential clients. Eric Byunn's participation in our first board meeting was helpful, somewhat challenging, provided strategic and tactical value, and was tough where appropriate but patient where appropriate.